32 Thoughts: The Podcast - Don’t Debug The EBUG

Episode Date: January 30, 2023

A busy week ahead! Jeff and Elliotte discuss the altercation between Troy Stecher and Trevor Zegras (01:00), what the NHLPA has planned this week at All-Star (7:15), the latest on Nick Bjugstad (16:15) and Carson Soucy (18:00), Jordan Binnington is up to his old tricks (22:45), Oilers call on their EBUG, Matt Berlin (24:25), more Canucks talk (31:50), the financially fit Bruins (33:45) and the guys take your questions (39:15).Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call The Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemailMusic Outro: abracadabra - talk talkListen to their latest album HEREThis podcast was produced and mixed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman. Social support was provided by Griffin Porter.Audio Credits: Bally Sports West, Fox News and Sportsnet.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

If they go both up and down, why are they called elevators? How can you take an elevator down? Oh my God. Same as escalator. How can you take an escalator down? How can you escalate down? De-escalator. Yeah.

I'm taking the de-escalator here now. Welcome once again to 32 Thoughts to Podcast. Merrick, Friedman, Delich, all of this presented by GMC and the new Sierra AT4X. Lots to get to today. And we'll start with a situation that burned through hockey Twitter on Sunday, like wildfire, really, as everyone became experts at lip reading. Trevor Zegers not stopping the conversation as Troy Stetcher, he drew his ire there. Linesman trying to intercedecede but not having a great deal of success right now finally zegras pulled from the fray stenchers incensed if i can read lips hazy i think he said i don't like

it and he's still kind of challenging john zegras all the way to the neutral zone Trevor Zegras and Troy Stetcher that situation the scrum the words exchanged the reaction from Stetcher which was pretty intense from the best that you can cobble together

what happened here? Well Jeff on Saturday night I'd seen the clip of Arizona and Anaheim and Troy Stetcher getting so angry at Zegers and thought, that's weird. Stetcher, from my limited experience with him, is a pretty mild-mannered guy. And it's really unusual to see him react like that. You know, to be honest, I went to sleep and I didn't really think much about it. Then all of a sudden on Sunday, I started getting some notes saying, did Zegers say something about Stetcher's dad?

And, you know, just to everybody to understand the full context of this, Troy Stetcher's father, Peter, was one of his hockey coaches. He was his biggest fan. He died of complications from diabetes on Father's Day in 2020. And actually, I reread it today, but Ian McIntyre did a really good piece on it, on their relationship. And one of the things that Troy Stetcher told McIntyre in the story was after his father passed away, he went through his belongings and he found a letter

that Peter had written to him that he'd never sent. It's a really touching story and it gives you an added idea of why that could potentially make Troy Stetcher so angry. I mean, I lost a parent at a young age. I understand it. And I don't even think you have to have suffered through the loss of a parent to understand why Troy Stetcher could potentially be so angry about that. Now, I sent a couple of notes. I checked with different sources that would be connected to different people on this. And as everyone knows now, a Coyote spokesperson reached out and said, Stetcher said that's not what he was angry about, but he didn't want to

talk about it any further. So I guess we should leave the lip reading to the professionals, but it wasn't specifically that, that set off Stetcher. Okay. So this isn't then a situation where either Douglas or Amama are getting called up for the game on April the 8th. We're not looking at them going to sign Ogie Oglethorpe for one game.

Well, those guys might get called up, but it won't be for this specific reason. Okay. You know, the other thing too is that Zegers, his misconduct ended with about 17 minutes to go and if what was alleged to have said actually did occur considering the history between these two teams remember what happened last year and the anger in the moment i don't think the coyotes would have let it slide. If they believe that that was the issue, I think they would have done something about it.

That's another reason I tend to think that didn't occur. Okay. Now, the one thing here that I think is important is that, you know, Steph always says to me, Elliot, just because you don't offend easy doesn't mean other people are like that. And what I would warn Zegers and anybody else listening to this is there's more demand for microphones and cameras everywhere than there

ever has been before. The success of things like Drive to Survive, the tennis has just started doing their own show, the PGA Tour is doing their own show. The demand for this is off the charts. And I think most people offend now more than they ever have. And you can argue whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I don't really care about that. I care more about the reality. Most people are willing to accept much less than they used to before they get upset at something.

The line has really moved. You know, I think people have to be aware of that. Look at this, like Stetcher himself is disputing the truth of it, but there was still an enormous train wreck on social media before anything got out in terms of a response. And, you know, I know intense things are said in the field of play.

And I really do believe that most people are not prepared for what is actually said sometimes, not only on hockey arenas, but everywhere else. And that doesn't mean everything is acceptable, but I think that players have to recognize people are lip reading more. John Boy, who's a very popular baseball video blogger, he does it all the time. I remember I got into trouble in the 2018 playoffs when I lip read the John Tortorella, Barry Trotz conversation in the handshake, but more people are looking to do it and more people are listening for what is said. You know,

how many people do you see on Twitter now? They're watching a game and they say, what was that on the background mic? And they try to enhance it. And like I said, I don't offend easy. I think there's very few things that Trevor Zegers could say to me that would really offend me but that doesn't mean that you're not gonna go over the red line with someone else or fans watching the game obviously something was said there that bothered Troy Stetcher a lot I don't know what it was. According to Stetcher, we all know what it wasn't, but you got to be careful with this stuff now because people are looking for it. This is a perfect

example. People are looking for things to turn into social media bleep storms. Nonetheless, another chapter in the feud between the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducksucks I just hope that somewhere down the road maybe sooner than later these two teams can get good so there we can have some good old-fashioned hockey hatred going along with some meaningful games here between the two sides okay let's park that one and rewind to Saturday you let off the 32 thoughts

segment on hockey night in Canada we're talking about the NHL Players Association, their search for a new executive director to replace Donald Feer. And it seems as if this is going to be, or could be rather, a crucial week amongst the players as we get the sense that a new executive director could be on the horizon here for the PA. I think we're going to get some clarity this week. And, you know, I give credit to the players and Kyle Ipposo was leading the, uh, the, the search committee

among the players. They've done a really good job of keeping this quiet for the most part. There've been some names of people. I, I think I know some of the people who they talked to and interviewed, but they've done a really good job is as they've narrowed down the field of keeping a lot of names really private. Basically what they said was the executive

committee is the 32 player reps, one from each team. And what they have said is we'd like to make sure you make time this upcoming week for a meeting. And if you're not going to be in Florida at the all-star game, please make yourself available via zoom or whatever. That's when everybody kind of got the signal that we were getting close. Now, do I think it's possible they introduce a candidate and vote? I think it's possible, but I wouldn't know how to handicap it. I do think they're going to update. I do think we're getting close to the end. I do think it's possible, but I wouldn't know how to handicap it. I do think they're going to update. I do think we're getting close to the end. I do think it's possible they select someone and say, let's vote on this individual, but

I don't know that's going to be the case for sure. I will say this, Jeff, there was some really conflicting information. There was stuff I thought that had was really good that other people disputed. And there was stuff that I just really wasn't sure about. And I think that's because the players on the committee have done a really good job of saying, we're going to try to keep a really tight lid on this process. But one of the things I did nail down and he's not talking himself is that I don't know how many people were down to if it's two or three, but I do believe one of the last people standing is Mike Gillis, the former GM of the Vancouver Canucks. And prior to that, a pretty high powered player agent. I think he's in the mix, although I don't know how to handicap this.

You know, I'm always curious about who the PA selects as their executive director. And you always wonder about the pendulum swings, directors that are combative and look for adversarial relationships with the NHL as they battle for as many pieces and scraps that they can find. Others that are more in tune with looking at the nature of a partnership between the Players Association and the NHL. And sometimes we've seen wild pendulum swings here, like from Bob Goodenow to Ted Saskin, for example.

Do you get a sense of, because Donald Feer was someone who could work with Gary Bettman and the NHL. And he always felt that there was a lot of money to be made for the players outside of the system in international hockey, for example. Do you get a sense of what the players are looking for in a new executive director? Are they looking for someone to come in and play nice? Or do you think they're looking for someone to come in and play nice or do you think they're looking for someone to come in to start a fight my sense is and i assume that the players will comment about this directly after but from what i have been told is that they are looking for somebody who will be firm

and not pushed around but they're not looking to start a fight. If a fight is brought to them, they want to be prepared for it and they want to have a plan for how to stand their ground. But I don't think they're looking for a fight, but I know they think they have to be prepared for one. Look, we're a couple years away from a new CBA. Ideally, in a pro sports league union relationship, you grow the game, but you

also fight for your membership, right? I do believe one thing that's going to be a very big issue with the next CBA discussions, and you and I spent a lot of time in this zone last year with Jack Eichel, is going to be medical care. I agree with that. The league got one on them in the last of time in this zone last year with Jack Eichel is going to be medical care. I agree with that.

The league got one on them in the last negotiation when they got it in writing that the teams got to make the call on the medical care or the medical procedures. The Players Association at that time did not realize what they'd given away and they got caught in that Eichel situation. I think between that and Pearson, and I think there's a couple other situations out there, I think they're going to fight hard for that. But I don't believe that the plan is, let's go in with a flamethrower.

I think the plan is, let's go in with someone that can negotiate on our behalf. Let's go in with someone who won't be pushed around, but let's not go looking for that fight. That's what I believe. Now, I have spent a bit of time trying to research Gillis a bit here. He's been working as a consultant for the Players Association for some time now. as a consultant for the Players Association for some time now. And I think one of the things that he has said to them, and we talked about this on a previous pod,

is that the Players Association needs to do a better job of growing the business of the game. Not just leaving it up to the league, but the players have to do the job within the powers that they have. That they have to take more control of that. And I have heard that that message has resonated. But again, I don't know who else is out there. I don't know who else is in the running.

Like I'll tell you one story, Jeff. I got told by one source that I really do trust that they think there is a non NHL person who's still in the running here. But the reason I didn't mention that is because I had people tell me it's not the case. Don't go there. So I don't know what the truth is.

So what I think there is, I think we have a handle on one person, but I don't have a good handle. And I'll just be honest with this about what else may or may not be out there. See, that's what I wonder about too. I asked about what the nature of the personality that this person, the new executive director will have, which is desirable for the NHL Players Association, i.e. what type of executive director do they want? And then the other question I have is, and this is one that always comes up,

does this person have to have a background in hockey or not? Can they bring someone in from outside? Mike Gillis is very much in hockey. That's obvious. Although he's done a lot of different roles. He has, absolutely. But he's, but he's still some like,

like we remember watching him as a player. Yeah. Right. And then we remember him as an agent and then, you know, general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. Or did they look to the outside and then surround him or her with hockey people? I don't know which way the players are leaning on this one.

My default is generally that players want an executive director who is from the hockey universe as opposed to outside of it. But I don't know that to be the case here. Well, one thing I do believe is that they really looked hard to speak to people who weren't obvious candidates. I think they tried to find people who weren't in hockey or didn't have as much of a hockey

background because they at least wanted to have those kinds of opinions, right? Which is always a good thing. The thing that's interesting about that here, Jeff, is that we're coming off a person in Donald Feer who did not have a hockey background and everybody can decide whether they think he did a good job or not.

But I do think that was one of the conversations amongst the players is, okay, we just had a non-hockey person. How do we feel about that? How did that go? And sometimes when you move on from someone, you go for the opposite of what that person was. And I have wondered if some of the conversation

here is players saying, we just had a non-hockey person. How do we feel about that? Do we want to do it again? Or do we want to come back into the game? We shall see where this one heads. Listen to 32 Thoughts, the podcast, ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. Okay, so a couple of other things from around the NHL.

You reported Saturday about Nick Bukestad and the Edmonton Oilers. I had mentioned something about Carson Soucy after you as well, defenseman for the Seattle Kraken. And I think a lot of people are wondering, again, this is a big if, if Seattle decides to do something with him, there's a number of teams that will be looking at Carson Soucy. But before I get your thoughts on him, your thoughts on Nick Bukestad and Edmonton or potentially elsewhere.

I think the Oilers like Bukestad. And after I said that on Saturday night someone called me on Sunday and they said to me they think it's more than interest they think there have been some pretty detailed conversations between the two teams as I mentioned on Saturday night you break down Bukestad's performance this year he's got 11 goals, 10 are at even strength, one is shorthanded. And someone brought up the point to me that he scores in the shootout. And the shootout has no basis in the playoffs. It doesn't matter. But you ignored it, your peril, to not get there. And the league leader this year has four. He's got three.

He's got a 900K number that anyone can handle. a matter of fact the same person said to me they wouldn't be surprised if not only is bugstad on the Oilers radar but so is one of his teammates the currently injured Shane Goss despair so I don't know where this is going to go because, you know, like I said, I think there's other interest in him. I don't think Arizona is going to have any trouble moving them if that's what they decide to do. But I do think Edmonton is one of the teams

there. And I think they've talked reasonably seriously about it. Do you have a thought on Carson Soucy, who I mentioned on Saturday? I like him. I like him a lot too. And he's 16 minutes a night.

Yeah, I know he's a bottom pairing guy. It's tough to get into that top four with Seattle. And the conundrum here is, and by the way, there have been no conversations up until Saturday night. That may have changed Sunday as we record this, but up until Saturday, no conversations between Ron Francis and Jerry Johansson, the agent there. He's on an expiring contract.

Seattle is going great, looking like very much between Ron Francis and Jerry Johansson, the agent there. He's on an expiring contract. Seattle is going great, looking like very much a playoff team and maybe even a playoff team that can do some damage come playoff time, we shall see. So the decision is, do you risk losing him for nothing or do you move him for assets at the deadline? Do you say to yourself, if you're Ron Francis, we can just punt this till after the season and then we'll still have a window to do something.

We know that Susie likes Seattle. What do you think of this player in this situation with Seattle? Well, first of all, I hope after his career, he becomes a talk show host because late night with Carson Susie has a great ring to it. That's a great name. That's a great handle for a talk show.

Absolutely. With Seattle, it's funny, somebody said this to me about Boston too. And for the first time, Boston's actually in a slump, but Seattle has something special going on there right now. And do you really want to tinker with that? And the thing is this year, Jeff, is until we

know what the cap is, how many guys are going to be getting signed? Not guys like minimum guys, you know, Ben Harper got signed this week and Valimaki got signed this week. You know, those guys aren't making numbers that are going to tip your cap, but guys like Susie who have a big number to them,

there's going to be a lot of guys like that who don't get signed, Jeff. I know. It's going to be a brutal offseason. I know. It really is. Like someone said to me, you know, like, for example, there's been a lot of talk about Toronto and Bunting and Timmons and everything.

Timmons, if he's going to sign for a couple years at a really low number by NHL standards, you can do that. But like someone said to me, you know, until Toronto knows what Matthews is going to do and where the cap is going to go, how can they make any kind of decisions? Well, they can't, especially on Bunting. Yeah. And now Bunting's played a lot better lately, but he had, you know, the awkward beginning of the season. And now Bunting's played a lot better lately, but he had, you know, the awkward beginning of the season. Had a great season last year,

riding shotgun with Austin Matthews. You know, you're looking at the next contract and you're saying, oh boy, lick your chops. He's playing on the top line, but I'm with you. And until they know the cap in Matthews, how do you do your budget? How do you figure out how much money you have for a player like Michael Bunting?

It's a really, really tricky dance here. So what i would do is if i was these teams and it's a risk for everybody because the player could get a big offer and go somewhere else but if i was seattle i would just say look carson we have a good team here we have a chance If we can't do this now, we'll take our chances in the summer till we know what the number is. In this particular case, that may change. I'm talking in general. I have to say that in a lot of cases in the league this year, I would be saying to guys, look, we're not going to know until the summer. We'll our risk now superstar player is different like i said some of the minimum guys are different but i think a lot of those guys who are kind of in the middle i think you're going to see teams say we have to know what the number is and by the way does it not

feel as if and maybe it's different from the calls that you make that everything right now is pretty quiet i think it's picked up a little bit you know vancouver has kind of thrown itself in the middle of all this i think st louis you know the real world is starting to set in there for this year the math is yeah is not good for them you know you talked about pittsburgh the last podcast, like I got to think the heat is ratcheting up there. To me, I do have a sense that people are starting to talk a little bit more. I wonder if it's just going to take that one first trade. And I know we just saw one last week between Colorado and San Jose, but I'm talking about, and no disrespect to, well, I mean, the biggest player in that deal is Matt Nieto, but no disrespect to any of those players.

A trade with a big name attached to it. Which means we're about to disrespect those players. I don't know. Matt Nieto had a pretty interesting game there on Saturday. We saw a couple of players get a little snappy. We saw Torrey Krug get a little snappy. We saw Jordan Bennington once again, Elliot. I know we've talked about him get a little snappy. We saw Jordan Binnington once again, Elliot.

I know we've talked about him get a little snappy as well. So now you can add a couple of new names, whether it's Logan O'Connor or Curtis McDermott to targets of Jordan Binnington. Georgiev skates the center thinking maybe I might be the guy that finally gives Jordan Binnington his fight, only to be shoo-shooed and told to go back to his crease. I've thought a lot about Jordan Bennington this year.

Probably spent too much time trying to figure him out and trying to figure out, you know, does he need to calm down the act or is he just doing what got him there? Here's where I'm at with Jordan Bennington now, because there's the part of me that says, well, someone just give them the fight. You know, next time they play LA, you know, in the minors, in the AHL, he fought Phoenix Copley.

Just, you know, do it again, get it out of your system. Or, you know, I've talked about, uh,

Kachetkov in Carolina. I think he's probably a sneaky, tough guy. Maybe that's the one. Get it all out of your system. And then you can just calm down and play now. We all know what happened this year, whether it was,

you know, with Jason Zucker and Evander Kane and the situation before with Devin Dubnik. It's just been a lot. Jordan Stahl, who trucked him as he tried to hit Gronk there. Where I'm at now is this is who Jordan Bennington is, and maybe in his mind, this is why he's in the NHL with a big contract and he's not going to change because this is what got him

to this spot in the NHL. I think that's pretty clear. Look, they basically told him worry about stopping the pocket. It happened again. So that's, that's everything you need to know. Speaking of goaltenders,

Saturday, first of all, great looking pads, blocker and catcher i know it's g bears from alberta i get it but matt berlin the 25 year old net minder comes in to finish the game for the edmonton oilers as they're en route to beating the chicago blackhawks matt berlin looks like he's getting set to come on the ice, and there he is with the Golden Bears, Pats. Getting a standing ovation here from the Oilers faithful. 25-year-old Matt Berlin, born in Edmonton, 6'3", 205 pounds. Third season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Also played in the AJHL with the Sherwood Park Crusaders. Most people love the e-bug story. Wait a sec. You don't like it? No. You know why I do like it? Here's why. Because again,

like I thought about Jordan Bennington, I've thought a lot about e-bug. People really don't like the e-bug. Come on. There are a lot of people that don't like the e-bug come on there are a lot of people that don't like the e-bug they think it's disgraceful to the game what are you going to do then put a player in so it's less disgraceful to put like austin matthews in goalie equipment i'm just saying that an e-bug i think there's an element of oh look who just won a fantasy camp

so give me a solution what's your solution that's better than the e-bug? I'm not saying I have a problem with the e-bug. I'm fine with the e-bug. People say this stinks. Okay, so I'm giving the royal you as opposed to just the merrick you. What's the better idea? Is there someone in the organization perhaps that can be playing? So let me get this straight.

I know what you're going to say playing so let me get this straight i know what you're gonna say so let me get this straight so far the two suggestions are instead of a person who actually plays ghouls somewhere yeah i get maybe it's not an ideal but instead of an actual person playing in ghouls somewhere you say okay we've run out of guys mcdavid throw on the goalie equipment like that's a better idea or the 18th defender throw on the goalie equipment that's or or hang on hey you know why wait a sec hold on no no i'm really i'm going with this i i gotta okay you really got me going now okay oh ryan hextall you used to play net but you haven't played it in 40 years put the equipment over your tweed pants there and get in goal.

First of all. Come on. The era that we grew up in, Elliot, there was always one player on the bench who was designated the third goaltender. Yeah, so what? That doesn't mean it's a good idea. Will you just let me finish here?

Oh, you're right. Okay, okay. Because you're yelling at me as if I'm the one that's knocking down the e-bug phenomenon here. Oh, I think you are. And there is an element of fantasy camp about it. But here's why I like it.

One of my favorite stories in the history of the NHL is an e-bug story. And do you know what it is? It's the most famous e-bug of all time. And it's 1928. Lester Patrick? Lester Patrick. It's New York playing the Maroons. Laurence Shabbat gets hit

in the eye. He can't play. Lester Patrick, who's the coach manager, says, well, Alex Connell from Ottawa is in the stands. We'll play him. Ed Gerrard, who's the general manager of the Maroons, says, not a chance. Patrick says, okay, what about Hugh McCormick, who's a minor league

goaltender, who's there as well. And again, the Maroons say, no chance. And there's a discussion on the ice. And they're going to put a roster player in. And Frank Boucher says, no way. And Lester Patrick says, all right. You know, the Maroons have thrown the veto down on Alex Connell and Hugh McCormick. I'm going in net. And I think, I'm pretty sure

that Lester Patrick, and this is a really nice touch. And if it's true, I hope this is in the hockey hall of fame. I think he grabbed Lauren Shabbat's baseball hat, put it on before he went in net. He was still wearing Lauren Shabbat's hats. This is, of course, the era before masks and helmets, etc. And went in there and played. And the New York player just sort of rallied around and was like, no one's going to shoot on Lester Patrick. We got to protect this league.

It's one of my favorite stories. And it's one of the grand old stories in hockey. So for anyone that says, I am aist, like I really hate that one too. I'm a hockey purist. I am a traditionalist. That's one of my big pet peeves. You've heard me say it before, right? Tradition is peer pressure from dead people. I hate the traditionalists that say I don't like the e-bug. This never would have happened previously. We go back to 1928. You know, the league is 10 years old and Lester Patrick, the coach manager, is playing that for New York. That's why I like the e-book.

Okay. Again, that's a nice sermon, but nobody is giving me an idea of what's better than what we have. Listen, I'm with you on this one. I'm fine with the e-book. Let me just say, I thought it was a great moment. I thought it was a really good thing that the Oilers did to have Matt Berlin go into that game. It was a perfect opportunity to give him the last couple minutes. And you know, the thing is too is that those fans,

they were wild for that. You could hear as he made the saves, they were in it. They were in it big. He's one of theirs. He's a University of Alberta guy. I'm sure Stauffer was like leading the cheers he made the saves, they were in it. They were in it big. He's one of theirs. He's a University of Alberta guy. I'm sure Stauffer was like leading the cheers up in the press box. And it was a great thing. I mean, who can dislike that?

And then what were you told on the bench about getting ready to go in? Oh, that was, I thought they were kidding, to be honest. It was, yeah, like five or seven minutes left there. They go, yeah, you're going with two minutes. And I'm like like good one yeah nice and then they're like no seriously like i don't joke around so and then they go just be ready to go at three minute mark and then after the first whistle after the three minutes you're going in and i was like okay i guess we're doing this you watched stewart skinner burst into prominence this year for the edmonton owners you played with him at the south side athletic club did you think, as you watched him succeed this season, that one day you'd be wearing an Oiler uniform?

No, it's quite remarkable, actually, how we've stayed buddies throughout this whole time. It's kind of funny that he goes down and I come in. I don't know, the hockey world's small, but it's a pretty cool moment. What a night. Thanks for your time, Matt. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. Again, if you've got a problem with the e-bug setup, give me a better idea.

Just give me a better idea. I'm willing to consider a better idea. And remember, a lot of this happened because that night that, you know, Luongo had to come back from hospital and play against Toronto. That was awesome. I mean, it was phenomenal, but people were like, you can't have a guy come back from hospital and go into the game. Well, then this is your other option. Jerry Topazini would have been the last, and

that would have been 61, I believe, player to like non-goaltender to go in that. I do have to say this, by the way, Jeff. Yes. I'm not convinced that chest protector he was wearing was regulation size where was Kay Whitmore? Chicago should

protest fun night fun night nonetheless okay a couple more things before we get to and by the way if you do have a better solution 32 thoughts at sportsnet.ca or 1-833-311-3232. We'll get to your comments and questions in a couple of seconds.

Quick thought on Lane Peterson. What a season it's been for him. What a couple of seasons it's been for Lane Peterson. Claimed off of waivers. He's now a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gustav Nyquist goes on IR. So Arizona to San Jose, the Burns deal to Carolina, to Vancouver in the Ethan Baird deal,

and now claimed by Columbus as Vancouver tried to sneak him down to Abbotsford. It's getting into Mike Sillinger territory here, Elliot Friedman. Well, what I hope is I hope it gives him a chance to play. Like that's the thing. Now, now hopefully he gets some NHL games. We should have all, well, you should have a segment here. We should call it Vancouver Corner. Like you should have music for it.

This week on Vancouver Corner, we discuss the Wayne Peterson waiver claim and anything else pressing about the Canucks. I'm really happy for Peterson. I hope he gets a chance to play. That at the end of the day is the thing I think about the most for this. Just one thing about the Canucks. I also kind of wonder, I think there's a few

teams here that really do a good job of keeping themselves out of it in terms of this, the whole Horvat conversation. I've also wondered, Jeff, if the Islanders are around this. But again, I don't think they want them as a rental. I think they'd be looking for longer.

Like someone said to me, it makes too much sense. First of all, they, you never know what they're doing. All year long, we've been talking about, they can't score. Yeah. And here's a guy who's on pace for 50

something goals this year. You know, I was, uh, had a conversation with someone from another team on Saturday who said, you know, I expect, and we expect the Bruins to do something really big and, you know, Horvat would be really big. And I said, you know, why specifically? Because like they're going gangbusters, like the chemistry is right on. And this person said to me, you know, there's probably a feeling in the organization that they owe it to players who came back and signed team-friendly deals, that they owe them something, whether it's Patrice Bergeron who came back on that contract, David Krejci, Brad Marchand has always been on a very, very team-friendly deal. You think about, you know, based on his performance and his place in the game and what he's done, how much money he's probably left on the table too.

And this person also said to me, one of the sidebars we're going to watch here is how both Tampa and Boston fight over the same players. They've fought over the same players before when Tampa got McDonough and JT Miller from the Rangers. It sounds like Boston was in that as well. That's going to be a really interesting one here to follow. But I think that there is that sense, at least according to this person from another team, and that is, you know, Boston, you know, owes these players a shot at

doing something significant because of how they've helped the organization. Like look what Bergeron came back for. Look what Krejci came back for. Like there's a sense that, okay, you guys have done this for us. Now we're going to do this for you. Do you agree with that? Yes, I do. Now the one thing I will say is, again, we all have these conversations.

One of the things about the Bruins this year is they do have tremendous chemistry. And I think one of the things that everybody's kind of talked about is how much do you want to fool around with that right now we joke they're on their first slump they've lost three games in a row horror of horrors but generally they've been marching through the nhl this year and i yeah i i think there is a question about how much you tamper with that again it depends on the player you bring in.

And I think if it's someone like Bo Horvat, I think you have about zero concerns. How about Horvat walking in and like, oh man, messed up the room. We had a great thing going until we brought Horvat in. I don't think there's a chance of that at all. I think the point about the two players, Bergeron and Krejci is a really good one.

Basically their top two centers are playing for three and a half million dollars this year. Wild, isn't it? Yeah. The one guy I was talking to was saying those guys should go to the Hall of Fame just for that. Like there's not a lot of players that would do that because look at how many teams out there can say their top two centers, their cap hits $3.5 million. And the top team in the NHL, despite the tragic three-game losing streak. And that's allowed them to do things around them. Now, I really think they're going to do something on lefty.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're in some of the bigger left-hand shot Ds. I know Brandonlo's name has been out there as somebody vancouver is interested in i don't have any evidence to believe at this time that the bruins are interested in doing that it's because vancouver wants it i'm not convinced yet that the bruins will do that i'm not sure about that at this time. But the other thing too is, and it goes to what you said, that they owe him this. Look, McAvoy's now at 9-5

and I've got no problem with that. He deserves it. But Pasternak is about to go from Satan's 6.66 to probably 11 if they're going to keep him. I didn't have a Pasternak update last week as I said, I think it's been moving. I think the Bruins have recognized here they're really going to have to go into territory they

didn't think they ever have to go into, but they're going to have to do it here. I think that adds another layer to what you said, like if we're going to do it, we got to do it now. So he goes from the devil's 6.66 to the pointy sticks of 11. Very nice. Very nice analogy there.

Heavenly Elliot Friedman. I did want to thank a tweeter named Paul Altmeier, who he listened to our last podcast and he talked about Noel Achari. Yep. And Bruce Cassie knowing him from the days in Boston. He wrote, he reminded me that not only does Cassie know him from Boston, but he was also Achari's first pro coach with the Providence Bruins.

So I wanted to thank him for that. By the way, I think Edmonton's been on Achari too, but that Vegas thing, they're really struggling and I think they're going to do something. The question is just when. You know, the other player I wanted to shut out this week was Alex Lyon from Florida. Like, he might have saved Florida's season in the last couple of weeks.

Everybody look at the bad games. He had the rough one in New York against the Rangers, and the next night Spencer Knight was supposed to play, and he had to come and he New York against the Rangers. And the next night, Spencer Knight was supposed to play and he had to come and he gave up seven against Pittsburgh. I felt so bad in that Pens game for Lyon. I felt awful. I felt terrible. Other than that, they've gotten points in almost every game he's played.

Yeah. And with Bobrovsky and Knight in limbo right now, he has kept them afloat. I love it. We love stories like that. And we also love getting feedback from you. So 32thoughts.sportsnet.ca The phone line 1-833-311-3232

Your emails, your calls are next. All right, Elliot, that time of the week, that time of the program, the beginning of the week, we get to some emails, we get to some phone calls. Let's begin with Trent in Phoenix. So this was sent in last week. We didn't get to it, so we're getting to it now. I'm watching the Kings-Preds game where Francois Saint-Laurent just went down the tunnel with an apparent injury. Obviously, they can work the game with the other official, but what would happen if the other referee got injured as well?

Eber? Linesman puts on the orange stripes? Eber. I like that. Eber, I like that. Wouldn't everyone love an Eber right around this time, Elliott Friedman? Wouldn't you dig that? Fantasy camp for the zebras? No?

So the way it would work is, the way the system is kind of set up now is they're prepared to lose one official during the regular season and two in the playoffs because there are standby officials ready to go in the playoffs so from the information i've received this past week what they would do is they would sit down with both teams and essentially say, okay, how do you want to handle this? And I'm pretty sure that technically they could still do it if there were two officials, one referee and one linesman. It would be tough.

Both teams would have to cut the officials a lot of slack to get the game in, but they would confer with both teams and say, okay, how do you want to do this? I wonder if they would sabotage it because if they went too well, the players, the teams would say, let's go back to this. Let's go back to this.

Exactly. So that's, um, based on the research that I've done, that's the way that one, uh, would be handled. Eber Elliot. I know you like the e-bug. How about the eber? Show me a better solution, Jeff.

Show me a better solution, Elliot, than the e-burr. I was just wondering if I was allowed to talk in this segment again. You're allowed to talk. And you're going to talk on this one, too, and you're going to talk about mispronouncing things. Here's Andrew in Kingston, a voicemail. Check this out. Hey, guys.

Andrew from Kingston here. In light of the news anchor who went viral for her pronunciation of Boudreaux and the Canuck. Former Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreaux has been fired by the Vancouver Canucks. The team announced the change today. Rick Tuchet was hired as Boudreaux's replacement. I got to know. In your media careers, what's your worst pronunciation of a player's name that you didn't

realize you were butchering or what's a name that consistently trips you guys up when you're on the air as always thanks for your time guys keep up the great work i know mine i was just talking to my wife about it last night so funny that we just got this one can i go first sure mine was when we used to have junior hockey on sportsnet like i love doing it friday nights i love doing the junior games love doing memorial cup top prospects all of it it was a london knights game i'm not sure if it was this player's debut in the ohl or not or debut debut with the London Knights or not. My memory's a little bit foggy, but it was the first time that I ever did a broadcast

with this player in it. And I'm sure I stepped all over it. Andreas Athanasiu. That's a tough one. Of the London Knights. The first time I saw that on the game sheet, I'm sure I mangled it, and I'm almost positive that I did.

RJ Broadhead would have been doing play-by-play, and I'm sure the way he pronounced it was different than the way I pronounced it, but that's the one that springs to mind right away for me. And ever since that day, I've always gone out of my way to make sure that I pronounce Andreas Athanasiu correctly. But the first time out there, junior hockey, Andreas Athanasiu,

my tongue was a pretzel. I can understand that. I've always had a big problem with Alex Petrangelo. I don't know why. I know how to pronounce it, but I always get it wrong when I'm just in the middle of something. And I've had people call me out on Twitter, just say that's not how you pronounce his name.

I don't know why. Just when I'm going, I'm in the middle of a broadcast. I've had people call me out on Twitter, just say that's not how you pronounce his name. I don't know why. Just when I'm going, I'm in the middle of a broadcast. Sometimes I just forget. Everybody was making fun of this, uh, this announcer. I don't do that. I've been, I know what it's like to make big mistakes on the air. And when you're that one person that everybody is kicking the piss out of.

So I don't like to do that. I'll say this at the outdoor game in Regina, which I thought was a phenomenal outdoor game between Winnipeg and Calgary. I said Fred Saskamoose's name wrong twice. And I called him Fred Saskamoose, like just in excitement. Yep. Like Theo Fleury was coming after me and saying, Elliot, that's a name you have to get right. And he was right about that. I felt terrible about it.

It wasn't that I just didn't know how to pronounce it. It just in my excitement talking about him, I butchered his name. So I find that some of my biggest problems are, Jeff, is not that I don't prepare well and do it properly, but when I'm just talking about it, sometimes I just lose my train of thought or drop my concentration a bit. And I butcher the name. You know, the one name that's always a speed bump for me is Predators. I have a hard time saying Predators. And I love the team. I love the people in the organization. They are some of the best people you will meet, period. And I always feel awful when I say predators

because I know in my mind it must sound like crap because in my head I don't pronounce it very well. But I mentioned this when the mispronunciation scandal erupted coming out of D.C. I can still remember my mom telling me when I was really, really young, and it's always stuck with me, Elliot. She told me this actually at a net library once in the West end of Toronto. She said, you should never make fun of people that mispronounce a word

because that means they learned it and read it in a book. And we should be encouraging more people to read because if you hear something, you can just ape it back and just say it but generally when people mispronounce words it's because they read it not because they heard it and we should be encouraging more people to read and if you make fun of someone mispronouncing something then they're going to feel bad that they read something and it didn't work properly in their brain. Interesting. Always remember that from mom. Okay. Let's see. Let's see. Let's get to Kevin in New York.

This question may be an easy one for Canadians, but I was thinking about living in America. I understand in Canada, there are three junior leagues, the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. I always wondered how the players were picked for each league. I'm assuming in Canada, it's what province you live in. What about American and international players?

Do they get to pick which league they would like to play for? Thanks again for all the hard work. Amel. Oh, no wonder this one got picked. Okay. So there's, first of all, for international players, there is an import draft and that's reverse order. All 60 teams go in reverse order and it's two rounds. Western League, OHL, QM, JHL,

they all have their own territories, both in Canada and the United States as well. And that is the pool from which they, uh, they draw their players. Um, some are relatively small, some are larger than others. Like, let me just pull this up here. Uh, the Quebec league, their protected

territories and states are Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshireunswick, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and PEI. You know, the OHL goes, you know, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, the Western Hockey League.

Hang on, let me call them up. The Western Hockey League gets you into Hawaii, Elliot. All you Western Hockey Leaguers from Hawaii also gets you into New Mexico and Oklahoma and where else? Texas. So it's all sort of the protected territories and states have all been agreed upon and divided up. I think one of the challenges that specifically the Quebec League has is some of the teams have difficult times recruiting American players, specifically ones that have NHL ambitions. If you're an American kid and you get drafted by the Quebec Ramparts, for example, and it's your draft year, do you want the added stress of being in an environment where your primary language is the secondary language? So that's why a lot of the teams in the Quebec League

do a lot more with the import draft and imported players because sometimes they found it challenging getting players from Massachusetts or from Connecticut, for example, Maine, New Hampshire, just because of a language barrier issue. And kids that have ideas of going on after junior hockey don't want an added stress of having to be in an environment where English is not the primary language. I know that's not always the way it is, and we think of the maritime teams as well,

but generally they have a harder time getting kids to come from the United States. All right, Elliot, how about we punt now, let people get on with their day. Everyone's busy. We don't want to take up too much of your time. How about that? That's fair, Jeff.

Fair, fair, fair. One of my most hated words, by the way. Life's not fair. I bet you use that line with your kids. I do. And you know know whenever i go talk to various broadcast colleges one of the first things i always say is when you go home go to your dictionary go to the page that says fair tear it out crumple it up and throw it away

because that word does a lot of damage to people don't assume that anything is fair you don't get what's fair you get what you negotiate that That's right. Here endeth the sermon. Taking us out, Elliot, is a California duo whose latest album is a deep dive into decades of electronica and field recordings blended with an infectious Latin influence.

Hannah Skelton and Chris Niles make up the group Abracadabra. They're based in the heart of Oakland's industrial jingle town above a former auto repair shop in what was a mechanics break room where poker rounds ensued. This is where they created their sophomore album, Shapes and Colors, with Talk Talk. Here's Abracadabra on 32 Thoughts, the podcast.

Enjoy. When I saw your pit, it seemed pretty phony What is it you want to tell me? It's time to fix it No, no, no, don't dump it all out and walk Talk, talk We have to look in time We look at the digital age

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